Entrainment mechanism for power-generating units



Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,352.. 1. A. MCGREW ET AL. ENTRAINMENT MECHANISM FOR POWER GENERATING UNITS.

FILED BIL-Q29, I92l- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,352. J. A. MCGREW ET AL. ENTRAINMENT MECHANISM FOR POWER GENERATING UNITS.

FILED DEC.29| 192K 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

\ 75 gwwemboz Patented Mar. 6, tees.

' W are increase as is.

'EYOHN A; McG-REW AND JAMES T. LOREE, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

MECHANISM FOR POWER-GENERATING TTNI'JIS.

Application filed December 29, 1921. Serial No. 525,748.

. To all wkomz'tmay concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. MCGREW and JAMES T. Lonnn, both'citizens of the United States, and residents of the city ofv Albany, county of Albany,- and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Entrainment Mechanism for Power-Generating Units, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to entrainment mechanism for power generating units. Generically considered, our present improvement comprehends the provision of means whereby the entrainment of a power generating unit-with a shaft to be driven thereby may be synchronized with the effective operation of saidunit. In attaining this result, we propose to utilize the energizing medium for the power unit for the purpose of cffecting'a governed controlof the shiftable elementv of the entrainment gearing, to the end that the possible stripping or mutilation of the gear teeth will be obviated.

While the invention to be hereinafter dis- 2 5 closed in detail is of more or less general application, it has been found particularly efficient in practice for use in connection with vehicle propulsion units and more particularly for the entrainment of'an auxiliary or "booster motor with a wheel axle as anaid to the main locomotive engine in accelerating the propulsion of a train from-terminals or over controlling road gradients.

In a specific embodiment of our invention, 3 we provide a shiftable power transmission gear between the gear on a driving shaft.

actuated by the power generating unit and a gear fixed to the driven shaft. In the steam supply line for the power unit avalve is interposed, the movable element of said valve being operatively connected to the bearing for the transmission gear. .This

valve is of such construction that in the" movement of the valve element under the pressure influence of. the steam, the operation of the power generating unit is initiatosition-for full entrainment with of the gears, the power unit is actuated at maximum speed.

Generally, our invention has for its object to provide such an entrainment mechanism which is automatically actuated when the supply of the energizing medium .to the pow'er unit is established and which consists of relatively few elements of simple form, positive and reliable in their operation and not likely to get out of orde i With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved entrainment mechanismarid in the form, construction and relative arrangement of its several parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings, wherein we have disclosed an embodiment of our present invention which has given highly satisfactory results in service, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing our present improvement as applied to a booster or auxiliary propulsion unit for a locomotive, its tender, coach or other wheeled ve'- hicle plied for use in'connection' with a booster or auxiliary propulsion motor such as that shown and described in our patent granted April 11,- 1922, No.-1,412,250. I

For the purposes of this explanation, it will sufiice to state-that the parts of the power generating unit are carried b arframe 5 which issupported in suspende relation between the spaced shaftes or axles 6 and 7 respectivel of the vehicle truck. However, it will e manifest, as the description p ro'ceeds, that in so far as the novel features of this invention are concerned they are not necessarily limited in their application and use to a booster motor for vehicle trucks, as the entrainment mechanismmight likewise be effectively utilized for the transmission of power from' power generating units of general application and use to a driven shaft. In the present disclosure we have illustrated the power generating unit as including the spaced cylinders 8 in which reciprocating pistons are arranged, said pistons being connected by the driving rods 9 to opposite ends of a driving shaft 10. I

Poweris transmitted from the shaft 10 to the shaft or axle 6 by means of suitable gearing which is normally ineffective. This gearing includes a drivingvgear 11 fixed on the shaft 10 and a gear 12 fixed upon the driven shaft 6. These gears are of such relative diameters that they do not mesh with each other and rotation is transmitted from the driving gear 11 to the gear 12 through the medium of the transmission gear element 13.

The latter gear is journaled in a yoke shaped frame 14 which has an oscillating bearin 15 upon the driving shaft 10 at each side 0 the gear 11. The frame 14 is also provided with a laterally projecting bifurcated 'arm or fork 16, the purpose of which will be presently explained. It will be noted that the transmission gear 13 is in constant meshing engagement, with the teeth of the.

driving gear 11 and tracks around said driving gear in the rocking oroscillatmg movement of the bearing frame 14.

Steam or other suitable energizing medium is supplied to the cylinders of the power generating unit through the pipe 17, one end of said pipe being connected to the intake 18 which extends laterally in one direction from the lower end of a cylindrical valve casing 19. To the outlet 20 extending in the opposite direction from said valve casing the pipe 21 leading to. the cylinders 8 is suitably coupled or connected.

19 at its lower end are grooved or channeled as at 22, the lower sides'of said channels as they approach the outlet port 23 being 4 widened or flared. The passage of the steam through the outlet port 23 is controlled by a valve piston 24 having a stem or rod 25 operatively connected at its upper end to the arm or fork 16 of the transmission gear frame 14. The valve piston 24 is' urgeddownwardly to its normal position, seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings, by means of a suitable spring 26 in which position of the valve piston communication between the inlet and outlet sides of the valve cylinder is cut off and the transmission gear 13 is yieldingly retained in a position ln-spaced relation to The op-- posite sides of the wall of the valve casing the gear 12 on the driven axle, as seen in full lines in said figure.

While we have described aparticular form of the automatic control valve, for the movable transmission gear of the entrainment mechanism, the novel features of this valve per se are not herein claimed, but aremore fully described and claimed in a separate copending application for patent.

When the steam or other energizing medium for the power unit is admitted to the pipe 17, it first acts against the valve iston 24, forcing said piston upwardly. hen the piston reaches the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, where its lower face is in a plane slightly above the lower edge' peripheral line of theteeth of the gear 12.

In the initial slow reciprocation of the pistons in the cylinders 8, the transmission gear 13 is, of course, rotated through the medium of the gear 11 on the driving shaft 10. Instantaneously upon'the registration of the teeth of thetransmission. gear 13 with the spaces between the teeth on gear 12, the movement of the valve piston 24 is continued under the pressure influence of the steam and full entrainment of the gear element 13 with the gear 12 on the driven shaft is obtained; 5

Insubstantial concurrence with such full. entrainment, the 'steamin full volume enters the cylinders 8, so that the power generating unit is operated at its maximum speed. The valve piston-124 is now in the position seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the steam pressure acting continuously against said valve piston to retain the transmission gear element 13 in its fully entrained position.

It will thus be apparent that, by reason of vthe automatically governed control of the entraining movement of the transmission gear and the synchronizing of such entrainment with the effective full speed operation of the power generating unit, the possibility of stripping or mutilating the gear teeth is effectively obviated.

" In the use of compressed air or other It will also be seen that, by reason ofj the shaft or axle is automatically effected.

In this application, we disclose an entrainment mechanism, whereby the driven shaft or axle may be rotated in only one direction. However, in another c-opending application for patent, we describe and claim an entrainment gearing whereby the driven shaft or axle may be rotated in either direction, such reversible entrainment mechanism being likewise automatically governed or controlled by the steam or energizing medium for the power unit.

From the above description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation, and several advantages of our present invention will be clearly understood. The,

entrainment mechanism consists of relatively few elements which are of simple and durable construction, so that the reliable and efficient operation thereof under various conditions of usage is assured. Furthermore, by eliminating the necessity of providing separate control valves or other means for efl'ecting the entrainment and disentrainment of the power unit, the expense incident 'to'the installation and maintenance of such mechanisms is reduced to a minimum.

As hereinbefore stated, the device forming the subject-matter of this application. is one or more or less general application and in the great number of possible adaptations thereof it is not to be expected thatcertain mechanical variations in structure will not be required. It is, therefore, to be understood that while we have specifically referred to a simple and practical embodiment of the invention, it may, nevertheless, be exemplified in numerous alternative structures. Accordingly, we reserve the privilege of adapting all such legitimate changes in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

We claim:

1. In combination with a propulsion unit for a load bearing axle, means for entrain- I ing said unit with the axle including a shift able power transmitting element adapted to engage a driven element, and means responsive to the influence of the energizing medium for the propulsion unit operatively connected to said power transmitting element and constructed and arranged to control the supply of the energizing medium to the propulsion unit and initiate the operation of the latter at low speed whereby power transmittingelement is slowly rotated prior to its full effective entrainment with the driven element.

2. In combination with a pressure fluid actuated propulsion unit for a vehicle driving axle, means for entraining said unit with the driw'ng axle including a power transmission element movable in a planetary path,

and in constant gear with the propulsion unit, and means influenced by the pressure fluid and connected to said power transmission element, constructed and arranged to control the supply of pressure fluid to said unit and initiate the operation thereof at slow speed to thereby rotate the power transmission element on its'axis and simultaneously shift said element in its planetary path to its full entrained position with relation to the driving axle.

3. In combination with a propulsion unit for a vehicle, driving axle and fluid pressure supply means therefor, means for entraining said unit with the driving axle including a power transmittng gear in constant gear with the propulsion unit and movable in a planetary path, and means operatively connected to said power transmitting gear and interposed in the pressure fluid supply connection for the propulsion unit influenced by the pressure fluid and controlling its sup-ply to the propulsion unit to initiate the operation of the latter at low speed and thereby rotate the power transmitting gear on its axis during its planetary move 4. In combination with a propulsion unit for a vehicle axle and a driving shaft for said axle ,operatively connected to the propulsion unit, a fluid pressure supply connection for the propulsion unit, and means for entraining said shaft with the vehicle axle, including a power transmitting element sup ported upon said shaft for planetary movement and constantly geared to the shaft, and a valve interposed in the pressure fluid supply connect-ion for the propulsion unit operatively connected to said power transmitting element and responsive to the pressure influence of the fluid to impart a planetary movement to the power transmitting element and move the same to its entrained positionshaft, and a pressure responsive Valve interposed in the supply connection to the propulsion unit and operatively connected to said bearing, said valve being constructed and arranged to control the passage of the pressure fluid and initiate operation of the propulsion unit at low speed simultaneously with the planetary movement of the power transmission gear towards its entrained position, whereby said reezaea gear is rotatedon its own axis, and thereby finally producing full entrainment of said gear with the driven gear of the axle simultaneously with the full speed operation of the propulsion unit.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names hereunder.

- JOHN A. McGrREW. JAMES T. LOREE. 

